CABINET OFFICE

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Douglas Alexander: The Government is committed to ensuring that regulations are necessary, give effective protection, balance cost and risk, are fair and command public confidence. In accordance with this, we require Departments to produce and publish RIAs for all regulatory proposals likely to have an impact on business.
	I have today presented to Parliament a Command Paper listing RIAs published between 1st January and 30th June 2002. Copies of those listed have been placed in the libraries of both Houses. This is the seventeenth such Command Paper.

Risk Report

Douglas Alexander: The Strategy Unit report, XRisk: improving government's capability to handle risk and uncertainty", is today being published.
	The Government welcomes the report, and we have accepted its recommendations in full. They aim to improve the way we anticipate and handle risk in the day-to-day conduct of our business, to support the effective delivery of public services. The report's recommendations will be implemented through a two-year programme of change, led by the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, Sir David Omand.
	The report looks particularly at those areas of government that involve handling risks that may affect the public, and makes a number of recommendations to improve the involvement of the public in decision making about risks that affect them. It proposes a set of principles that government should follow in handling risks to the public, on which we intend to consult.
	Copies of the report have been placed in the Vote Office, the Printed Paper Office, and the libraries of both Houses.

HOME DEPARTMENT

National Policing Plan (2003–06)

John Denham: I am, later today, laying the first National Policing Plan before Parliament as required by section 1 of the Police Reform Act 2002. It sets out the strategic priorities for the police service in 2003–06 as follows:
	Tackling anti-social behaviour and disorder.
	Reducing volume, street, drug-related and violent and gun crime in line with local and national targets.
	Combating serious and organised crime operating across force boundaries.
	Increasing the number of offences brought to justice.
	The Plan will be a key element in raising the standards of policing to enable all forces to approach the standards of the best.
	The National Policing Plan is a key element of police reform and sets out for the first time in one document, the performance targets and indicators against which delivery of priorities will be measured. The Plan describes those aspects of police reform, which will be in place over the next three years to support delivery.

HEALTH

Health Inequalities

Alan Milburn: I am today publishing the results of the cross-cutting review of health inequalities, undertaken as part of the Government's 2002 spending review. The review sets out the Government's long-term approach for narrowing the gap in health between disadvantaged groups and the rest of the population.
	Copies of XTackling Health Inequalities: 2002 Cross-Cutting Review" have been placed in the Library, and it is also available on the Department's website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/healthinequalities

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

International Policing (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Bill Rammell: Every effort is being made to ensure that the transition of responsibility from the International Police Task Force (IPTF) to the European Union Police Mission (EUPM) goes smoothly with minimal disruption to stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). For example, personnel from the two missions are co-operating closely to ensure that information and expertise accumulated by the IPTF is transferred to the new Mission. In order to facilitate a smooth transition, an EUPM Planning Team has been established to prepare for the take-over and ensure that the hand-over is effective and thorough. Together these steps will ensure that the EUPM is well-equipped and capable of building on the progress achieved by the IPTF.
	Commander Sven Frederiksen, currently Police Commissioner with the IPTF, will take up this same role with the EUPM thus ensuring that his expertise and experience as Head of Mission will be transferred to the EUPM. This will contribute further to the smooth transition which is crucial to the success of the new Mission.
	In the transition of responsibility from the IPTF to the EUPM there is to be a change of emphasis in the mission mandate. Whereas the IPTF was working closely with police officers in the lower ranks of the BiH Police Service, the EUPM will be looking at reform at a more senior level within the Police Service as well as reform at a ministerial level. To achieve this, contributing countries are providing officers with experience of different policing fields to transfer skills and expertise to the BiH police service.
	The UK remains firmly committed to the peace process in BiH and will be contributing 56 police officers from 34 different police forces across the country, along with 9 civilians, to the EUPM. This comprises over 13 per cent of the total slots allocated to EU member states. All 15 EU member states are contributing personnel as well as seventeen further non-EU states. In total there will be around 500 police officers and civilian staff working in the EUPM.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Regional Development Agencies

Alan Johnson: I have published the Regional Development Agencies' reported outputs for the first quarter of 2002–03. These have been placed in the Library of the House and on the DTI website at www.dti. gsi. gov.uk/rda/info/q 1 results.htm Regional Development Agencies' reported outputs in the first quarter of 2002–03.
	The tables below show the Regional Development Agencies' Tier 3 targets for 2002–03 and the number of outputs they have reported as delivering by the end of the first quarter (June 2002). RDAs originally set out the annual targets in their Corporate Plans before the target definitions were finalised. Several RDAs have since chosen to rebase their Corporate Plan targets in line with the subsequently agreed methodology. For more information about the performance monitoring of the RDAs please see the DTI Website. A glossary of terms is at annex A.
	The RDAs' have stated that the Q1 returns are close to profile, and that as a result, RDAs collectively are broadly on track to achieve their annual targets. When considering the figures below it is also worth bearing in mind the following points:
	Some RDAs have been focusing attention on developing partnerships or schemes that are expected to deliver the majority of their results in the latter part of the year. Since setting their annual targets some RDAs have identified new opportunities to deliver outputs and are consequently expecting to exceed their targets. All outputs are reported on a Gross Attributable basis. Jobs created as a result of Foreign Direct Investment are reported on a gross basis to Invest UK and have been excluded from the Employment Opportunities table, below. Table 1—Employment Opportunities: total number of job opportunities as a result of RDA activity—taking new and safeguarded jobs together.
	
		
			 Tier 3 Annual Target Output for quarter 1 
		
		
			 SWDA 6,450 597 
			 EEDA 953 270 
			 EMDA 5,150 340 
			 ONE 7,449 608 
			 NWDA 14,532 1,365 
			 SEEDA 2,066 716 
			 LDA 14,450 2,280 
			 AWM 13,545 423 
			 YF 10,500 1,262 
		
	
	
		Table 2—Business Performance: total number of new businesses added to the regional economy as a result of RDA activities.
		
			 Tier 3 Annual Target Output for quarter 1 
		
		
			 SWDA 700 26 
			 EEDA 163 84 
			 EMDA 470 33 
			 ONE 406 21 
			 NWDA 804 114 
			 SEEDA 123 17 
			 LDA 990 45 
			 AWM 144 7 
			 YF 700 61 
		
	
	
		Table 3—Brownfield Land: total number if hectares of land remediated to an acceptable condition and/or recycled into effective use as a result of RDA inputs and activities.
		
			 Tier 3 Annual Target Output for quarter 1 
		
		
			 SWDA 140 7 
			 EEDA 23 0 
			 EMDA 119 20 
			 ONE 117 2 
			 NWDA 442 110 
			 SEEDA 40 7 
			 LDA 30 23 
			 AWM 259 72 
			 YF 88 4 
		
	
	
		Table 4—Education and Skills: total number of learning opportunities and/or support provided or influenced as a direct result of RDA support.
		
			 Tier 3 Annual Target Output for quarter 1 
		
		
			 SWDA 5,400 2,240 
			 EEDA 3,183 665 
			 EMDA 2,375 441 
			 ONE 18,014 1,726 
			 NWDA 32,792 7,052 
			 SEEDA 3,454 631 
			 LDA 8,700 3,623 
			 AWM 16,215 1,487 
			 YF 14,000 2,408 
		
	
	
		Glossary of Terms Annex A
		
			 Term Definition 
		
		
			 Corporate Plan RDA plans which set out how resources will be used to achieve the objectives set out in their Regional Economic Strategy. 
			   
			 Gross All outputs directly attributable to projects or programmes 
			   
			 Gross Attributable Gross outputs that are directly attributable to RDA input, i.e. the RDA share of the outputs. 
			   
			 SWDA South West Development Agency 
			   
			 EEDA East of England Development Agency 
			 EMDA Ease Midlands Development Agency 
			   
			 ONE One NorthEast 
			   
			 NWDA North West Development Agency 
			   
			 SEEDA South East England Development Agency 
			   
			 LDA London Development Agency 
			   
			 AWM Advantage West Midlands 
			   
			 YF Yorkshire Forward

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Fraud (Islington)

Malcolm Wicks: The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate's (BFI) follow up inspection report on the London Borough of Islington was published today and copies of the report have been placed in the Library.
	The BFI first inspected and published a report on the London Borough of Islington in December 2000. The report found that the council had awarded a contract in 1998 to a company to deliver the benefit service on the council's behalf. However, the service was found to be totally inadequate, partly because of weaknesses in the contract but primarily because of the council's failure to manage or enforce it.
	This follow up report finds that the London Borough of Islington had attempted to address many of the concerns raised in the first inspection.
	The London Borough of Islington and its contractor were committed to improving the delivery of the benefit service, and were working closely to achieve this. Amendments to the contract had enabled the council to better manage the work of its contractor. Challenging targets had been introduced for the contractor, while comprehensive management information and a sound checking regime had been introduced to assist the council to monitor quality.
	There had been a significant reduction in the backlog of work and level of customer dissatisfaction since the first inspection. However, at the time of the follow up inspection, claimants were waiting an average of 16 weeks to have their claims dealt with mainly because the council had not tackled the underlying problem of managing the claims process.
	The council had significantly improved its counter fraud activities. It had a stable investigation team and it focused its efforts on the prosecution of fraudsters.
	There had been no tangible improvement in the area of overpayment recovery. Although the council and its contractor had developed a strategy to deal with overpayment recovery, the delay in implementing this had allowed the outstanding debt to rise by 47 per cent. in 2 years.
	The report concludes that the council had planted the seeds for improvement and now needed to ensure that it met its own expectations to deliver a quality benefit service. The BFI saw promising prospects for the council and its contractor to deliver the significant improvements needed for customers to receive a prompt and accurate benefit service.
	In 2000–01, the London Borough of Islington administered approximately #122.4 million in housing benefits.
	The report makes recommendations to help the council address the remaining weaknesses and to further improve the administration of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as counter fraud activities.
	My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Pet Travel Scheme

Mr. Elliott Morley: On 1 July I indicated that the Government was minded to extend the very successful Pet Travel Scheme to the USA and Canada but would not do so until clarification had been obtained of some points raised in a peer review of a scientific assessment of the risk of importing rabies into the UK if the Pet Travel Scheme was extended to the USA and Canada.
	I am pleased to say that the further work I commissioned has confirmed the results of the earlier risk assessment; extending the Pet Travel Scheme to the USA and Canada will not significantly increase the risk of importing rabies. The Government has decided therefore to extend the Pet Travel Scheme to those countries.
	I have today laid before Parliament a Statutory Instrument giving effect to this decision. It will come into effect on Wednesday 11 December 2002. From that date cats and dogs from the USA, which comply with the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme can enter the UK without going into quarantine for six months. My officials are discussing with appropriate organisations the approval of routes and certification. Until these are available cats and dogs from the USA and Canada will have to spend a short time in quarantine—no more than 3–4 days, while all their documentation is checked. If the animal and documentation meets the requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme the animal will qualify for early release from quarantine.
	The European Union is expected to adopt early next year a Regulation on the movement of pet animals. This is based on the same principles as the UK Pet Travel Scheme, which will then form part of the EU system, although we have obtained derogations to continue all aspects of our current scheme, such as the tick and tapeworm testing. Future decisions, about how animals arriving in the UK will be treated, will be dealt with under the procedure laid down in the Council Regulation, when adopted.

Medical Careers

John Hutton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health is today announcing proposals for a new framework of measures to improve rewards for national health service consultants and modernise medical careers in England. Copies of the proposed new framework have been placed in the vote office.
	The new framework involves using the extra resources that the Department had previously set aside for implementation of a new consultants' contract (rising to some #250 million by 2005–06) to achieve the continued objective of giving greater rewards to consultants who do most for NHS patients and reforming the way the NHS delivers patient care.
	To ensure that this extra investment delivers improvements in NHS consultant capacity, productivity and value for money—and helps reform ways of working—there will be a national framework within which local health services will have a choice of investing in local implementation of the contract negotiated with the British Medical Association in June 2002, where there is a high level of local consultant support; investing in new annual incentives for consultants who make the biggest contribution to improving patient care; and investing extra resources in the new system of clinical excellence awards that is due to be introduced from April 2004.